Holiday Inn Waterpark Experiences?

[ZimZim]

Hi!
I'm starting the planning process for 2019 and looking for any recent thoughts/experiences/opinions on Holiday Inn Waterpark. Looks like a great deal - especially looking at the suites - we might have Grandma with us, and anyplace we can get an extra bedroom VS 2 on-site rooms is a huge cost savings.

But as with any good deal...there's a catch, right? I've got 2 littles (will be 3 and 7).

 

[DisDadWoz]

We stayed there when it was the Nickelodeon hotel. It was actually pretty easy to get to/from the parks. Our girls liked the waterpark and the food court was decent. However that was a long time ago

 

[kong1802]

We stayed in April this year, below is my review:

I'll list the pros and cons that we experienced at this hotel:

Pros

1. Great location! Only a 7-10 minute drive in to the MK, and that was mostly traffic once we crossed through the WDW gates
2. Room layout was perfect for us
3. Noise level. Didn't hear a peep at night, and we even were on one side of a lockout unit, and those are notoriously terrible for noise
4. Pool bar, and general amenities

Cons

1. Main pool was very crowded. Couldn't find a spot and didn't feel comfortable with our kids in the pool and waterpark area with that many people. We did have a great time at the other pool, though
2. Outward facing room (already knew this going in, still not our favorite)
3. Even though the rooms appear newer, can tell they are made more on the cheaper end of the spectrum (pillows, sheets not up to par with other chains)
4. Check in was a zoo. A lot of people checking in and not enough staff to handle that.

Overall, we felt that we got a good deal. However, if we would have paid more than we did, we may have been more critical. The waterpark area is great, but it was so crowded we didn't really get to enjoy it. We spent 3 hours at the pool closer to our room and loved it! It's just a basic pool (although very large), and had a nice pool bar and hot tub. Also had a large checkerboard, table tennis, and pool table. It was not crowded over there at all. The restaurant on property boasts that kids eat free with paying adult. It's a buffet set up for breakfast and dinner (they don't serve lunch). The offerings for breakfast looked ok, but we passed and just ate what we brought (pop tarts, muffins, cereal). Dinner buffet honestly looked terrible. They charge 18.95 per adult for dinner, not including any drinks. Hot dogs, chicken fingers, salad bar, and what I believe was tilapia. A lot of desserts. We passed and went off property for dinner. There is also a Subway and a Pizza place in the marketplace. They have a good sized arcade, laser tag, and a 4D theater on property. We did not utilize those. Honestly, I would put it on par with the Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista. But not the Embassy at Lake Buena Vista South. That one is so far above the others in service and quality.

We would stay there again if we found the same deal. I would not pay more than we did to stay there, however. I'm glad we went and have no regrets (even with our early troubles). If you can get a deal to stay there for around $100, I would suggest it.